


A Devil's Magic

by OphiuchusSerpens



Category: Ghost (Sweden Band)
Genre: Childhood Trauma, F/M, Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Healing, Hugs, Hurt/Comfort, Sad and Sweet, Witchcraft
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-28
Updated: 2020-07-28
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:41:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,846
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25566076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OphiuchusSerpens/pseuds/OphiuchusSerpens
Summary: A girl finds herself at the doorstep to a new life, she has to go back but the doors remain open.
Relationships: Papa Emeritus III/Original Female Character(s)
Kudos: 1





	A Devil's Magic

**Author's Note:**

> This is a prequel to my fic A Girl Needs A Devil, think of it as a continuation of that story.

A nameless girl ran through the streets of the city, freezing and barefoot, dressed in tattered pyjamas. No one stopped to ask if she was okay, she was good at hiding her emotions. The soles of her feet were hurting. She had to take a rest even though she had to get away. She had just escaped a situation that had destroyed her life. "It's over" She thought to herself "I can't go back, I want to just die". She could not bring herself to commit suicide though she wanted to because she was scared, instead she decided the safest place to be right now was the church. She pulled herself along the railings at the side of the street until she was at the steps. She crawled up them pitifully, the red light of the interior shining through the front stained-glass window. She hoped it was still open, she would hide there until she figured out her next move, "Maybe I could stay there forever" She thought. "I could be like Quasimodo living in the bell tower". She opened the door only to find the inside mostly empty other than a hooded figure fast asleep. As she approached she noticed the figure was slumped over on one of the rows of pews. Soft organ music played. It was comforting. The church might not be as empty as she thought. She sat down next to the stranger and he- it? Woke up.

"Pardon you for catching me dozing off" He said, his face muffled by his mask. "No it's alright, I came in here because I'm a runaway". The stranger glanced at her ragged clothing. "What's your name?" She asked. "Doesn't matter" She nodded her head. "Can I call you anything sir?" He paused. "Omega" He said. As he stood up you noted that he was quite tall. "The ministry is just behind this chapel door" He said. Another hooded man walked in. "Alpha, this girl is lost, take her to meet him". "Nihil?" He asked. "Emeritus I". She was confused and a little bewildered. "Oh and fetch her some socks will you? This girl has no shoes".

As she was lead out the door into the ministry she quickly started noticing that this was not a house of God. It became apparent to her from the window panes depicting Satan and his devils tormenting and pillaging wicked souls. She walked up a spiralling staircase she was told would lead up to somewhere where she could find Papa Emeritus. She cautiously knocked on the door at the end of the dark, quiet hallway. She couldn't hear anyone there but surely enough, silently, the door was unlocked and she caught a glimpse of a man who's visage chilled her to look at, especially in the shadows with only the light of the room illuminating his face.

He was old with red and black papal robes and what looked like skull makeup. He was frightening especially after the trauma she had already gone through. She gasped and jumped back. "I apologise" He spoke in a quiet tone "I did not mean to upset you, please come in". She entered the room which looked like a library with a fireplace, lit by candles with dark curtains draped over the windows. He sat down beside the fire, it's light warming his ghostly face. "Please, have a seat". She sat down on the opposite armchair and pulled her legs up to her chest. "So, why did you come here? What is your name?" He asked. "I can't go back, I don't have a name anymore". He wondered why she had run away and if it had something to do with her family or her parents. "May I ask why?" Here it came. "I ah-" She started. "I had to because my parents found out I was being abused but they blame me for it". He wanted to shake his head. It sounded absurd that parents would do this to their own child. He felt his old soul being moved and felt the need to give this girl shelter from harm. She would need new clothes first, he would see to it personally that she would have a place to stay and could change out of those rags. 

"If you don't have a name then what name would you prefer?" He asked. She thought for a moment, thinking back over family names and the earliest recorded that she knew of. "Beauford" She said. "It is an ancient name, one distant from my family". He would like to spend more time with her later. He would give her a place to rest for the night. She would have to find her way back home since she was a young missing girl but he decided that he world place a protection incantation on her. His fingertips were rusty but he would give it a try. "You can stay here for tonight, I'll place you under the protection of the beast if you allow me to perform a ritual". She nodded and got up. "But first, let the ghouls show you to your room". "Ghouls?" She thought. "See me after you've dressed". On second thought, Beauford did not think he was so bad. She had started to warm up to him and she wanted to stay here. She didn't want to go back. She would tell him when she was ready.

Her room was kept simple but neat. On the bed was a black gown left by the ghouls, she didn't complain as she put it on, it was actually rather comfortable. She was so grateful and happy that she had been given this by these strange Satanists though she would rather leave behind the world she had come to know before and forget about her parents. She wondered if she would meet Nihil, meanwhile Papa Emeritus was having a conversation with him. Nihil slouched in his armchair half dozed off as he listened to his eldest talk about this girl that had been brought in. "I want to know if she can keep a secret of what we do here, your tenure is already near it's end with the clergy as it is". His younger brothers stood idly by his elderly father, listening in. "I will make sure of it". "Thank you" Nihil smiled. "Now then, go and learn what you can, do a ritual on that tacky piece of my jewellery from Seven Inches of Satanic Panic you stole if you must" Terzo held back a laugh. "Sorry father".

"H-hello?" The door creaked open. She caught sight of the old man in the armchair, it had to be Papa Nihil. The other two brothers had left. "Ah, so you are... Beauford?" He asked after some thought. "Yes" She replied nervously shifting about. "Please my child, settle down, you are in the ministry now no longer out there, Primo here would just like to know where you came from so you can go back... hmm?" She was crying. The idea of going back to where she had ran away from and the swirling emotions around her made her cry. "My child, why are you crying?" Nihil asked. "I-" "Primo?" He had wrapped his arms around her, she felt tiny against how large his robes made him look despite being quite frail and short. They were light silk. She bunched her hands in it and stood like that for a while with his hands holding her gently. "It appears she needs counselling". The older man's eyes softened, seeing that he was calming her. "You might need to let her stay here for as long as she needs to gather her strength".

Later that night, she had told him the entire story of what happened that made her run away to find sanctity here. Even though Primo's time was nearly up and the title of Papa Emeritus would be passed on to his middle brother soon, he felt it his duty to welcome her back safely here one day after placing protection from harm upon her using witchcraft. As he was about to start the ritual he made sure he had everything before he began. He placed his hands together in prayer. His prayer was as rusty as his finger tips, he was certainly getting quite old. "Satanas, nomini divino actu viribus praestare velit securus fueris crux ut homines a malis" He sat deep in thought at a desk with the grucifix among several other items. "Defendat hac puella" When he was finished with his prayer he started writing her name on a piece of papyrus, then took a separate piece and scribbled something down before placing it above the candle opposite her name placed below. He repeated his prayer as he sprinkled what looked like water on the cross and balanced the candle on top of it. Deep in thought again he started spreading cloves around the objects and burned garlic on the candle, continuing to spread fragrance around it. The smell was pleasant, vaguely reminiscent of cedar wood. He drew upon power from Satan as he began to light candles and place them. "O uno malo, benedicat tenebras puero hoc". After a few minutes he placed the final candle. "Fiat tuam puerum timeat pater". He took the grucifix from underneath the candle and placed it around her neck. "This will protect you" He said. She was grateful for his effort. "Thank you" she threw her arms around him. She wasn't quite sure of what happened but she would always keep this with her. She was escorted back to her room to retire for the night when she suddenly became aware that this was a dream and woke up, she clenched her fist around the grucifix and turned around to see Papa Emeritus III sitting next to her bed, watching her sleep as she had asked him to the night before. 

"So you're awake, how did you sleep ghuleh? Any nightmares? You did tell me you sometimes have them". She brushed back her messy hair. "I guess, but I remember now, my memories have been coming back to me" He raised an eyebrow. "Is that so?" She nodded. "Papa, there's something I want to tell you I- I think I've..." She blushed, she couldn't blurt it out that she had strong feelings for this man "I've found myself wanting to be in your arms all the time" He embraced her. "And so you shall". She held onto him tightly, resting her neck in the crook of his shoulder. "Papa" She whispered "There, there" he crooned. It was like he could read her thoughts from the eager way she looked at him. He kissed her forehead and then looked for invitation and kissed her on the lips. "I won't ever abandon you" He said. She knew he wouldn't, not when he had stayed the whole night watching over her to feel safe. "You're too good to me Papa". He was happy to know how she truly felt about him. She shook the dream from her head.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, read my first fic if you haven't.


End file.
